Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-03-11

HUN IohHSylYdHld ana D0u6nG Jn0 LecK0y
place. He raised large family and all of
the name in this county now are of that
family. George Leonard was weaver
and was Revolutionary soldier and used
to tell about the fights his cavalry company
had with General Tarleton in South Caro-
lima. The Alexanders lived where the
Brewers now live. and the Turks, Patricks,
Dalhouses, McCunes, McClures, Flnleys.
and Ramsays we're living IN this vicinity
EVEN IN THAT DAY.
Even in that day the people used to talk
about where settlers came from One
night my father went over to Ramsay's
mill, and on the way the dog freed some.
thing. 1t was cold night and he took off
his overcoat and climbed the tree and
shook it down. 1t struck on the overcoat.
1t was not a possum it was a pole-ca5.
The coat was dreadful, but it was so cold
he had to put il on. When he got to the
mill old Ramsay raised great row over
the coat and said "W hen these Pennsylva-
mans come down here. even the pole-cats
get after them"
THE LAND WHERE WAYNEsBoRO
STANDS.
Conrad Conner, Caspar''s brother, came
down from Pennsylvania to visit him, and
my father took him around to show him
the country. He showed him the five
hundred acres where Waynesboro now
stands, which he could buy for Is Sd (373
cents) an acre. Conrad looked over it and
father. "Caspar, as [ was coming down
here saw three wild turkeys run across
the road at Woodstock. 1 wouldn't give
those turkeys for the whole fves hundred
acres" Some of this land 1.-THE Bush land)
sold year or two ago at $50 an acre.
When settlement was first commenced
atWaynesboro, the Widow Teese first kept
tavern there. Some years after that, old
Tom Wilson kept it. He died about 1918.
Caspar Coiner built the first brick house
that was built there and it is standing
now. George Baylor once lived in it and
afterwards Judge Greiner. 1t was built
In 1906. Most of the people who died in
this country in those old days we're buried
In Ramsay's grave yard, which is now on
the Pelter farm.
THE EARLY LIVING.
How about the house-raisings in those
old times?
Well there weren't any housed alsings
worth calling that. There were no logs
to raise them withholding but poles.
Old man Ramsay had house raising but
the poles were SO small that they would
swag in the middle. The people mostly
lived those times OH buttermilk and hon.
my. There were no mills to grind the
corn fine. The country was 30 bare of
timber that boy sent out 80 Eunt cattle
could climb tree and see all around the
country and that way find his cattle. The
Barren Ridge road was built that the In
dams who travelled up and down the Val
lea might take that road and not branch
off down into the farms.
The people got their salt from Richmond
by trading butter for it. The neighbors
would make keg of butter each and put
it all together and send it over the Blue
Ridge to Richmond to trade for salt. At
the foot of the mountain this side it would
be put on pack saddles and carried over on
horses, and on the other side would be put
in carts. The drivers took no feed with
them hut would hobbIe their horses when
they stopped. and Craze them. There was
place called "Scuff1etown". just outside
of Richmond. where the drivers of the
carts used to have frolics.
THE WAR OF 1872.
When the war Of 1872 came, there was a
great stir. | remember my brother Mike
went in the New Hope company. When
the British came to the Blue Ridge, Hall S
Regiment went to the gap with guns and
pitchforks. They made limitations of can
non out of trees and planted them in the
gap to fool the British.
THE PROFESSIONS AND TRADES.
There were no doctors around here in
those days and 70 stores. but there were
mechanics. At Waynesboro, TAYLOR was
the shoemaker, Paul Apple was the sad
dler, and Silver and Grooms were the tai
lors. They used to come out to the farms
to cut and make the clothes. On the farms
we used to make cloth as thick as sole
leather and full 1t-a pair of pants of it
would last for two years. The tailors used
to come to the houses and make them. The
same way with shoes-every farmer had a
tanning pit and made his own leather and
the shoemakers would come to the house
and make the shoes. The backsmiths
made their own nails. The tires Of wheels
used to be put on in pieces. When the
news came to the neighborhood that there
was blacksmsth down here IN Rocking
ham who could put on tire whole, hot.
the people could not believe 1t and refused
to try it because the hot tire would burn
the wheel up. After awhile they got to
forcing the tire On cold. My father used to
strike for week for blacksmith in
making one tire. To make the mould-boards
for plows the farmers would hunt out
twisted logs. The first iron mould-poard
that ever came here was in 1916. CoalteI
had them at his grocery IN Waynesboro
and my father sent me there to get one.
Every farmer had his still in those days
and there was raore liquor and fewer
drunkards than there are now. After the
, war OF 1912 my father paid government
tax of 25 cents per gallon. 1t was collected
by Mike CARRIER and my father paid S40C
tax. l have stilled for SIXTY one years,
In those days Tennessee was far vest
and young Jimmie Gillespie who came
back from there Oh visit, used to tel
great stories about the Indians there
The county here was improving fast even
IN that day, and Jimmie expressed sur
prise at the great changes since he had